A teenager has sworn she will never go on a pier again after one of her legs went plunging through its wooden decking.

Megan Wood of Lincoln Road, Portslade, was out for a stroll with her friends on the Palace Pier in Brighton when the mishap occurred.

She said: “I just trod on a bit of wood and it fell straight through.

“I was just in shock at this chunk of wood missing.

“It could happen to anyone – imagine if it was an old lady or a child who fell through.

“I never want to go on the pier again.”

Miss Wood saw her leg go through a slat in the pier up to above her knee.

The 19-year-old, who works in Debenhams, has been going to the Palace Pier with her boyfriend Declan Dexter for years.

Mr Dexter, 20, who volunteers for the RNLI, added: “It’s a shame really because we have been going on there since we were kids.”

The pair did not wait around and headed to A&E in a taxi, where it was confirmed Miss Wood had not broken any bones but may have done some nerve damage.

She said: “It still really hurts and is bruised. The doctor said it would get worse before getting better.”

Miss Wood was told she has some bleeding in the muscles of her leg which could take two or three weeks to heal.

James Rosca, 21, of East Croydon, was down for the day with his friends when he saw Miss Wood’s accident.

He said: “It looked like one of the slats had given way.

“It scares me quite a bit.”

The Argus: The broken decking plank

Anne Martin, general manager, believed someone tripped on a broken decking plank.

She said: “We have had no direct contact with the young lady concerned and have only been advised by a third party.

“We are waiting to see how we can resolve this unfortunate incident.

“Our health and safety consultant has provided us with a report and we are satisfied that this is an isolated incident.”

BACKGROUND
Last May, another visitor was walking along the pier when some wooden decking gave way.

Fakhouri Sami Yassan, 29, of Fitch Drive in Brighton, said his leg dangled precariously underneath the pier.

He was taken to hospital, where he was treated for cuts and bruises to his arms and legs.

Mr Yassan said: “I was lucky that another piece of decking didn’t give way or I’d have fallen straight through.”

Mr Yassan said he managed to pull himself out of the hole before anyone from the pier came out to check on him.

The duty manager said he was aware someone got injured on the decking but said it was because he fell on to it rather than through it.